“Well then, Drake-” Siad with a stretched, borderline fake, smile Muù “-I believe it’s high time we leave this place…get tight. I expect some company!”

The higher our ship hovered over the ground, the more speed it acquired. The black-armored soldiers were becoming nothing but little black dots running around the golden sand. Just like ants in a nest. Though we got away from the battle on the ground, another kind of battle was waiting for us. One far more deadly in my inexperienced eyes.

Through the hardened glass I saw small triangular ships flying around with speeds barely possible to follow with naked eyes. Of course, they weren’t just playfully chasing around. An array of beautiful shiny colors in the form of laser beams was painting the light blue sky with the bright red color of the explosions. The remains of those destroyed ships fell to the ground, some too close to our vessel for my liking.

I was mesmerized by the beauty of the fight taking place over my head. The agility, the reflexes of those pilots were out of this world. Soo nimble and elegant as if they were improvising a dance on a stage. How enchanting! Though, my awe came fast to an end as soon as a beeping sound from a monitor near Muù triggered my sense of danger.

“As expected we got company!” Exclaimed the short man as he fumbled around with some unknown controls, leading to the ships gaining a sudden increase in speed.

“Can’t we get rid of them?” I anxiously asked as my fingernails sunk into the black leather of my seat.

“No can do! That’s a fast one we got on our tail. I’ll get the shields up but worst-case scenario we’ll have to fight an unfair battle”

The beeping was becoming louder by the second. I figured it meant that an object was getting closer. It was right in our back, though we could only see it from the radar. I fastened myself as solidly as I could to my seat, bracing for the shots to come. I knew I couldn’t help much since all that was in that room was pure gibberish to me but I still felt useless.

The beeping wouldn’t stop and only grew louder and louder until the whole screen radar became red. A threat was approaching, even the ship knew that and yet, just before the enemy ship passed the radar’s second-last circle from the center, it disappeared. Leaving only the sound of a loud explosion coming from our backs.

Both me and Muù looked at each other with astonishment and perplexity. That until our loud laughter began spreading through the cockpit. We had been blessed by luck. A malfunction in the system of our persecutors or perhaps the lasers of another spaceship? Whatever was the reason we were glad to be alive.

“The road’s clear-” Roared Muù as he pushed a lever “-we’re rolling out!”

And as he finished his words the ship acquired a sudden boost of speed. My head was spinning as if I had been placed inside an absurdly fast washing machine. The sky stretched and the other ships became unrecognizable. Before I could understand the situation we were already surrounded by the dark space. Behind us was Cukavaa with its sands and the sounds of battle. The only noise keeping us company now was the rumbling engine.

“It’s not the fastest ship out there but it’ll get the job done” Said Muù with a sigh of relief.

“So?-” I inquired “-Where are we going now?”

“Tough question…mmhh, this thing can’t fly much far and it ain’t even got a full tank…I only see a couple of options for us”

“Which are?”

“We could set a course for the farthest system reachable and see what happens then. Though I won’t suggest it. If our luck runs out, we might find ourselves in a bigger mess than before. The space’s not that welcoming of a place!”

“And the second?”

“We fly this piece of junk to Nara, an underworld oasis. Black market, smuggling, illegal bets and assassins. Nara’s got it all. No one would ask questions to a slaver ship there so we’d have blank paper, so to say, if we play our cards right. Plus I know a guy there, owes me a favor. We could have him help us out a bit”

“What about the ship?”

“We sell it of course! Don’t wanna be tied with Cukavaa once words that slaves rebelled gets out!”

“Then I guess Nara is!”

“Good choice my fellow free man! HAHAHA” Exclaimed loudly as he bumped his chest with two of his hands. His laugh was somewhat reassuring.

“By the way gramps, you seem to know your way around this ship. Mind showing me the ropes?” I asked as I stood up and placed my elbow on his shoulder.

“Ya call me gramps one more time and I’ll snap yer arms like twigs!.... Though, shouldn’t ya get in a pod to stitch that wound?”

“What woun-” I said before noticing one of his thick fingers pointing at my calf “-Yeah sure but…what’s a pod?”

“Right, right-” Said the exasperated Muù as he face-palmed “-Ya ain’t got no common sense. Right….I’ll set up the course for Nara, ya search the rooms for a big, cylindric white structure, big enough to fit a man. That’s a pod. Just press the green button and jump in. It’ll at least apply first aid and stitch it up, though it’ll still hurt. Once yer done, come back to the cockpit. I’ll make sure to teach you how to fly one of those things! But one question first…How is it?-” Said as he pointed towards the vast space in front of us “- I mean, it’s yer first time seeing it, no?”

“I- this…it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen”

The trip to Nara took us a little less than two days. Muù said that a better ship would’ve made the same trip in half the time, ours had a very slow hyperspeed apparently. But that was to be expected from a transport-class ship or “ big pile of space junk” as Muù described it.

During the whole trip, except when eating and sleeping, I received Muù’s intensive lessons on spaceships. That knowledge was overwhelming! Soo many buttons to understand, levers’ functions to grasp, parameters to consider, terminology to learn…It felt like going back to school once again. Upon touching ground I sure wasn’t ready to fly a ship on my own but at the very least I was one step closer to it. In a universe where all living things are not bound to a single planet anymore, being able to traverse space was a skill I had to get my hands on as fast as I could. Even I understood that.

Once the second day was approaching its end, the reddish color of our destination finally came into view. The more we grew closer the more details I could count. From a distance, one city showed its light tens of times brighter than the others, Nara. Which was actually the only one considered a city, the rest were referred to as settlements. Close to one of those settlements was our chosen landing destination.

It would have been easier to go around Nara if our ship was parked there but, once news of Cukavaa rebellion came, many eyes would’ve been on that ship. So better be safe than sorry. We made use of Nara’s peculiar terrain, composed in the majority by canyons, caves and huge spikes of red stone, and hid our ship in a cave at the top of one of those canyons. The trip to Nara would take us half a day so we decided to sleep on the ship for that night. That was the first time I had a full night’s rest ever since I became a slave. It felt as if I shed my skin.

The next day started early. What would you expect from a couple of ex-slaves used to wake up at the first signs of light? Lucky for us, the day in Nara had a span of 32 hours, so we had our good share of sleep.

We ransacked the ship of whatever valuables and utilities it had inside. Stocks of dehydrated food, spare parts kept in the cargo, a couple of sets of decent clothes, our guns plus the gun of the dead guard on the ship and gas masks. The air on Nara wasn’t very clear so for races with the lack of an advanced respiratory system able to filter it, the use of gas masks was a must. The last thing we did before heading for the city was to clear the ship of the body. If we were to sell it, a dead body would’ve added an unrequired gruesome touch. A hole on the side of the canyon was enough of a grave for one of the jailers who kept us inside the mines.

We reached the city after 10 hours of walking. The view from outside was astonishing. Huge towers made of dark grey metal were generating somewhat of a see-through light blue dome over the city. Muù explained that it was both a barrier against attacks and a way to filter the air. The city grew in a vertical-kind of way around the huge rock spikes with roads traveling all around them in spirals. The difference between the buildings at the top and those at the bottom was abyssal, like that of a king and a peasant.

“Welcome to Nara, the beating heart of the underworld!” Exclaimed excited Muù as soon as we set foot over the guard post.

The lower city was vibrant with life. Brimming with shops, bars and the thick scent of strong booze in the air. Simply by walking around Nara’s streets, one could feel its nature permeating the people around him. Money ruled over everything else. Just by that little walk, I was able to witness four stores paying the lace. Not to mention the brothels, the girls in fancy dresses, the drunkards on the side of the road and the policemen partying with them. Indeed the city had a wild vibe of its own.

“Here we are, Drake!-” Said Muù once he stopped in front of the entrance of what looked like a shabby clinic “- The guy that owes me a favor lives here, he’s a medic. A good one actually but he’s got a nasty personality soo…just let me do the talking, ok?”

Before even waiting for my answer, Muù entered the place with enough rudeness to piss off even the most saint of shopkeepers.

“Go away-” Said a grumpy voice from a room in the back “-can’t you even read the sing? I said I don’t work on Sundays. Piss off!”

“Oi, ya grumpy old bastard!-” Shouted the short man as soon as the door closed behind him “- An old friend has just come back in town and ya just scrub it off like that?! Come out and show ya ugly face!”

I was speechless. Was that supposed to be a greeting or was Muù trying to pick up a fight? The sound of feet stomping and grunts began flowing out from the room in the back like a raging river. Moments later, the spitting image of what people think when told to describe a “grumpy old man”, came out of the room in such a rude way that it surprised me how the door actually didn’t break down. Around one meter and sixty of height, clearly over fifty years old but looking like seventy, blonde hair now slowly but surely turning grey fashioned in the classical military cut, an unkempt dark-grey beard with small braids adorned with colorful beads here and there, skin wrinkled especially around his tired eyes, crooked nose, a scornful smirk and the classic tired and uninterested, slightly hunchbacked posture. I was bewildered at the fact that a man like that was running a clinic. I learned not to judge simply by appearances during my long years in the mines, but it still had me worried whether that man actually wanted to cure people or simply enjoyed reveling in his patients' misfortunes.

“Tch, if it isn’t that old coot Muùrakal!-” Shouted in a seemingly happy tone, yet also oozing somewhat of a coarse air, the man as he approached us “-How long has it been? Two decades? Ye could have at least called! Been long enough since last time I drank with a friend!”

“HAHA, ya say that but I bet that if I called, ya would’ve just cursed me and told me to go fuck myself off in some forgotten planet. Am I wrong?” Replied the short man as he extended one of his arms with an outstretched hand.

“Naaahh, would’ve probably done that…so, mind telling me where ya’ve been?” Answered the taller man as he friendly slapped the hand of his friend in a handshake.

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“Mmhh, that’s a long story for ‘nother day but to make it short: I’ve traveled around some systems, pissed off the wrong people, got myself almost killed, dumped in a forgotten shithole of a planet and sold as a slave. Then, just recently, thanks to this guy’s help, I was finally able to escape those mines…Would still be in there if he didn’t convince me otherwise HAHA!”

“Wo Wo WOO! That’s a hell lot to take in! You? A slave? YOU? I honestly can’t believe it even if it’s coming out of yer mouth. Plus… who’s that guy?” Said the bearded man as he pointed one of his tired fingers at me.

“Oh yeah! I forgot to introduce ya! Drake this’ the friend I told ya ‘bout, Connor May. Connor, this is the guy who basically saved me from the mines, Drake Jigan”

“Pleasure to meet you Connor” I replied, trying to sound as polite as possible.

“Him?-” Replied the scornful man as he scanned me up and down with his wrinkled brown eyes “- Are ye telling me to believe that a soft kid like this helped you escape slavery?”

“I know, I know! He doesn’t really look the part, right? No offense, Drake-”

“No offense taken”

“- But he sure had the brains to think up strategies that let us beat up the guards. It’s incredible that he did so while having no memory. On that note…do ya mind letting us in? I don’t really feel like talking ‘bout all this at the front door”

“Sure, come in, but don’t expect me to be offering tea and biscuits!”

With that said, we were led to the same room Connor came out of and sat on some dark-red leather armchairs in front of a coffee table. For the next couple of hours, Muù and Connor talked about their respective lives extensively. Muù especially didn’t spare details on his long life as a slave. Surprisingly enough, Connor didn’t move a single muscle nor spoke a word while Muù was talking about it. I could feel some sort of respect from him by the way he looked at Muù. It was just a sensation though. I kept silently listening to their stories in hopes of figuring out at least a bit of Muù’s past but, even though it was clear that the two of them knew each other from way back, they had some sort of unspoken mutual understanding to gloss over certain details. Then finally, when the stories were coming to an end, the topic changed towards me.

“Damn…didn’t think ye had to go through that all. Though now I wonder, why did ye come here as soon as ye escaped?” Asked Connor as he slammed the now empty glass on the table.

“Yeah about that. I told ya ‘bout Drake’s memory loss, no?-” Replied Muù receiving only an “mhh” as his answer “- I was thinking ‘bout reclaiming that favor I did you back then and having you check on his brain”

“HA! I knew you were up to something! Tch, using your favor for someone else…you’ve grown softer”

“So? Ya’ll do it?” Asked impatiently Muù.

“It’ll take time…”

“How much?”

“‘Round four months maybe?”

“What?! That much? I thought ya were one of the best brain docs! Have ya grown rusty in those years?”

“Of course I haven't ye asshole! Don’t ye see where I live? Do ye really think I could afford to buy machines like then? I only got some run-of-the-mill machinery, enough to treat the normal kind of wounds and make rapid checks…I could do a thorough check up on the brain but, as I said, it’ll take some time and I’m not sure whether I could cure it”

“Well, that’s more than enough I think but ya’ve got to at least let him have a room ‘round here. How’s that sound?”

“Tch…checkups are free but he’s gotta pay rent!”

“Heard that Drake? At least you got a roof over ya head HAHAHA!”

“Thanks a bunch, Connor!” I rapidly replied as I slightly bowed my head out of habit.

“...Tch, don’t expect me to cook you meals and shit. Ye’ll have a bed and a bathroom, that’s it!”

“AIGHT! Now that we’ve got a place over to sleep let's head out, Drake! We’ve got a whole city to see and money to make! Connor’s not one to forgive ya if ya don’t pay what’s due haha!”

“Wai wai asshole! What do ye mean “we”? ARE YE GONNA SLEEP HERE TOO? I SWEAR I’LL-” The rest of what Connor was about to say was lost along the way as me and Muù sprinted out of the room and the clinic faster than rabbits. It’s not like we lost much since what was coming next were probably just curses and intensive swearing.

From then until late at night, I was led around Nara by Muù. The downtown district and the commercial one, filled with high-end boutiques, a sea restaurants and second-hand shops. The entertainment district where the most famous bars, clubs, brothels and other “entertaining” activities take place. The widest and tallest spike, with its interior completely empty and used for every single type of competition imaginable. Want to bet on fights between monsters as if gladiators? Lowest floor! Want to spectate either flying cars or wheeled cars races? Then, from the second last floor from the ground up, there are a whole lot of five floors dedicated only to races. The tracks are not only limited to one floor but they intersect with the lower floors, creating an intriguing and complicated circuit. Monster races, human-like sports, box-like fights…that spike had everything. It was the pulsing heart of Nara, thus called “Babel”. On the outside of Babel, other than common roads, shops and living facilities, were the so-called “hanging skyscrapers”. Those hanging skyscrapers were, as the name suggests, reversed skyscrapers having their highest point on the upper side of one of the spike protrusions and their lowest hanging from the sky. It was a sight to behold! Just by looking at them, it was clear that only the richest of the rich could inhabit such places.

Just like Babel, the other spikes inside the city were also dug empty and used for various purposes such as spaceports, cars, bikes and spaceships dealers, factories, huge warehouses and, in some cases, entire living districts were built inside them.

Nara was a pot full of the most strange and incredible alien races. There was a species that had the body of a human and the head of a fish. Said species walked around with some kind of breathers over their mouths. Another strange species were the Koparian. The koparians very much resemble octopuses with their tiny bodies carried around by three long blue tentacles. There were so many different species that I couldn't keep track of them and, at some point during Muù explanations, I decided to just stop caring about them.

The whole day was a blast though the real issue began as the light made space of the night. The city, already brimming with life during the day, woke up from a supposed slumber at the first signs of darkness. Around the time when most people finished their dinners, music began blasting from every corner of the city. Whether they were clubs, bars or private parties, I could hear strange music coming from everywhere. It was my first time hearing the kind of music that people listened to in such a futuristic world. And it honestly surprised me how much I liked it. It was nothing like I had ever heard before, with strange sounds, unknown instruments and a language I never imagined could exist.

To boot the whole festive atmosphere up, rays of colorful light shot up from the ground creating a parade of mixing colors on the top side of the dome. It was in front of one of those bars that we stopped. One in the entertainment district that shot up red and purple lights. The reason for our trip out was to help me familiarize with the city and find work. The latter was what we were about to do.

“Ok Drake, here's the place. Wear this on your ear, it’s a translator. It’s not the best out there but it was cheap and had the most useful languages soo we’ll have to make do-” Said Muù as he extended his hand with a small bluish device “- I know this work’s about ya but lemme do the talking, ok? It’s not that I don’t trust ya, it’s that I don’t trust ‘em…Also, here, take this. Don’t know if we’ll need it but better safe than sorry!”

In his hands was a loaded gun. Both the gun and the translating device were things that he bought from some shops around town. Of course I wasn’t the only one armed together with Muù, who was carrying the rifle we got from the guard inside the ship, the vast majority of the populace was carrying weapons.

“Who are we gonna meet?” I asked as I fastened the gun on my back between my skin and the belt.

“A man named Boris Toghella. A Lican. you know, those you called “beastmen”? Well, he’s that kind, basically half man half wolf. I asked ‘round and they said that he’s the man to ask for work…and with that I mean any kind of work. Ya get me?”

“Yeah…it’s not like I have that much of a choice do I?”

“Atta boy!-” Exclaimed the red man with a grin on his face “- Well then, let’s go get a drink HAHA!”

As we entered the bar, a sense of dizziness began permeating my head. The smell of what seemed like tobacco mixed with vapor and the thickest scent of alcohol I’ve ever felt since entering town started wrestling inside my nostrils, leaving me on the brink of tears. The place was vibrant with light and it’s dark walls made it even more evident. Red neons were hanging from the roof and on the walls while purple ones shone from under the floor, showing the roads between the tables. On the far left corner was the counter with a set of four finely dressed barmen carrying out the orders. Beside it were the stairs that led to the upper floor.

Our target was easy enough to spot. Sitting at one big table on the rightmost corner, surrounded by skimpily dressed girls and buff armed guys, was the man we were looking for. A man around his forties, a good ten centimeters taller than me, with silky brown hair that reached down his neck and a pair of dark brown ears spiking of them. His eyes were of a shining green that stood out even more thanks to the short beard that covered the lower half of his face. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a bulky black jacket on top of it. Black straps of leather could be spotted under his jacket, probably carrying a holster. It was too dark for me to grasp if he was really Boris or not but Muù straightly walked towards his table with his usual cocky confidence.

Upon approaching the table, one of the buff guards, a bald man with slightly darker skin and a bright red visor over his eyes, moved in to prevent us from going forward.

“Are ya Boris Toghella?” Asked Muù extending his face over the guard’s waist.

“No-” Replied the wolf-man in a jokingly tone “- I’m his twin brother, Baris, now leave. I’m busy with these ladies”

Following his boss’ words, the guards began slightly pushing Muù backward in a surprisingly peaceful manner by touching Muù’s shoulders and giving slight pushes backward. Of course, that was not enough to stop a man who worked years inside a mine.

“I’m looking for work!” Replied Muù as he stared at Boris dead in the eye.

The guard looked back at his boss and, with a wave of his hand, he signaled the guard to permit our entrance. Once acknowledged the signal, the guard moved to the side and gave us enough room to sit at the table.

“Sorry girls, work calls-” Said the man as he slapped one of the girls’ butt only to then gesture us to take a seat in front of him “-Now then take a seat…Can I ask your names?”

“Muù and Drake Jigan” Rapidly replied Muù.

[We are already surrounded. Boris in front, a guard behind me on my right, one next to Muù and two behind Boris…Shit! Let’s hope it goes well]

“Muù and Drake…Never heard of those named ‘round here” Said Boris as he put heavy black boots on the table. His black leather pants only emphasized his rocker style.

“We are new here, arrived just today”

“Uhh, some fresh blood!-” Grinned the wolf-man with his pointy fangs in plain view “- What an odd pair honestly. Why do the two of you seek work?”

“Not me, just my friend here. He needs money to start his new life but without any reference this is the only kind of job that pays enough”

“That so? It’s a bit disappointing…-” Said Boris as he clicked his tongue “-You look like you’ve been in this business for quite a while but him…come on, he’s just a greenhorn! What can I even do with a greenhorn like him? He doesn’t even look that capable... Tch, I don’t like people who waste my time”

As soon as Boris finished his sentence, the guard behind me fastened his grip on the gun. Being the one closest to me, I was checking out his movement the most since he was the biggest threat. Luckily, my reaction speed was enough to act before he could. Swiftly I extracted the gun from my back and pointed it at the man in front of me. The guards around us moved to grab their weapons as so did Muù, before a heavy shout of Boris stopped them all on their tracks.

“Everyone STOP!... It looks like the greenhorn took my words to heart. So what are you gonna do now, uh? Shoot me? You are welcome to try-” Said the man as he positioned his forehead at the end of my gun “- You’ve got a weapon, use it!”

“Are you taking me for an idiot?-” I replied “- I need work, and you are the one who gives it. What good comes from your death?”

“Then why’d you pull the gun kid?” Taunted the Lican.

“‘Cause the guy behind me fastened his grip on the gun and I’m not stupid enough not to know that’s a sign of someone who plans to use it”

“Grawhawhawha! The guy’s got balls! That or you are a crazy motherfucker. Either way, they are both traits needed in this kind of work-” Said Boris as he moved away my gun with his fingers “- I misjudged you kid. What was your name?”

“Drake Jigan”

“Drake, uh? Then Drake I’ve something that suits you perfectly. I now know that you are not a liability, but how much of an asset can you be? Just think of your first job as some kind of test ok?”

“I’m fine with that”

“Nice, nice. It’ll take place in eight days from tomorrow. Come here in a couple of days at night and ask of me at the bar. I’ll give you the details then-” With a gesture of his hand and a smirk on his face the guards began leaving their positions behind the table while he looked at me straight in the eye “- I’m looking forward to your performance, Drake. Enjoy the night!”

With those words, Boris and his guards left the table to pick up the girls and make their way to the upper floor. My heart was beating way too fast to let go of the tension and seath the gun. Only with a vigorous slap on the shoulder from Muù was I able to snap back from it.

“Drake ya got baaaalls I tell ya! Ya made a hell of a big impression on the man. He already gave ya a job HAHAHA! Drinks on me tonight…this is ya first night as a mercenary Drake HAHAHA!”